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Western Illinois University Athletics

James Claar
Sarah Ritter
69
Western Ill. WIU 5-16,2-9 Summit League
75
Winner Purdue Fort Wayne Pur-FW 11-14,4-6 Summit League
Western Ill. WIU
5-16,2-9 Summit League
69
Final
75
Purdue Fort Wayne Pur-FW
11-14,4-6 Summit League
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Western Ill. WIU 24 45 69
Purdue Fort Wayne Pur-FW 37 38 75

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Claar Shoots 100% on the Night at PFW

James Claar made every shot he attempted for a career-high 20 points.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – James Claar has enjoyed playing against Purdue Fort Wayne this season; so much so that in both meetings, he left with a new career-high. The Western Illinois senior recorded 20 points Wednesday night (February 5), leaving behind several thunderous dunks and power moves to the rim, but the final resulted in a 75-69 loss. 

Claar went 6-for-6 from the floor and 8-for-8 at the free-throw line, all while coming off the bench. 

"I can't say enough about our guys and their character," said head coach Billy Wright. "James is just a great attitude guy and obviously came in as a great spark. 

"We got off to a great start, and they cranked up their pressure a little bit. We knew [PFW] had that in them, but we have it in us as well. We showed that in the second half, but it's a 40-minute game. We're not into moral victories. We want to be able to pull these out, but came up a few possessions short down the stretch."

As the Leathernecks' leading scorer, it was only fitting for Kobe Webster to pour in the first points of the night. Western created the opportunity for its junior guard after forcing a turnover on the Mastodons' opening possessions, and the trifecta led to an 8-2 lead three minutes in.

The scoreboard read identical four times after the early run – the final sitting at 20-all – before back-to-back 3-pointers provided Purdue Fort Wayne a little breathing room. It entered halftime on an 8-0 run, which continued into the second half, but despite the growing lead, Western responded as it usually does. 

Just a game ago, the Leathernecks chipped away at a 20-point deficit to pull within two versus South Dakota State (February 1), and they trailed by as much as 17 late at PFW. To cut away, Western doubled up on the 'Dons -- outscoring them 19-8 over five minutes -- and suddenly the score read 58-55 with 6:50 left. 

The Leathernecks continued to push through the final horn but never regained the upper hand. 

"We shot well on the road. Forty-eight percent from [two-point attempts], 35 percent from three and 90 percent from the free-throw line in the second half. It was a tremendous job from that aspect, but when you have 21 turnovers, it's hard to win at any level." 

Claar's career-high was also a team-high, and he was joined in double figures by C.J. Duff (13), Kobe Webster (12), and Ben Pyle (10). Both Webster and Claar grabbed five rebounds. 

The Leathernecks are off to South Dakota next Wednesday for a 7 p.m. 


 
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